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JWI 510: Leadership in the 21st Century Lecture Notes

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Week 3: Your Leadership Style

Welcome to Week 3. How do you think people perceive you? Do you recognize the impact of your emotions and behaviors on those around you? If you want to be a leader, the answer to that question had better be, “Yes”! Like Jack says, leaders must be comfortable in their own skin. Effective leaders must be self-aware. They must understand the impact their leadership style has on others, and they must know how to leverage – and, when needed, adjust – that style to maximize the positive impact they have on others. Emotional Intelligence is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but it is not always as clearly understood, or appropriately deployed, as it could be. This week, we will take a closer look at the topic with a particular emphasis on how developing your Emotional Intelligence can have a direct impact on your leadership success. Emotional Intelligence

In 1995, psychologist, Daniel Goleman, popularized the term Emotional Intelligence (EI) to describe the ability to read and manage one’s own – and others’ – emotions, and to use that understanding to manage relationships (Goleman, 1995). Goleman asserts that EI could be more important than IQ in predicting who, among an otherwise talented group of individuals in an intellectually demanding profession, will make an effective leader. In his classic Harvard Business Review articles on the subject, which you will be reading this week, Goleman (1995) says that EI is divided into five components:

1. Self-Awareness Individuals can recognize and understand emotions and their effect on others as they happen.

2. Self-Regulation Individuals can control or redirect feelings that are dysfunctional or inappropriate – such as anger, depression, or anxiety – and can adjust their behavior before acting.

3. Motivation Individuals with a strong drive and optimism in the face of failure have a passion for their work and a high degree of energy and persistence.

4. Empathy Considered to be the most important people skill, individuals can observe and interpret the subtle signals that indicate what others are feeling and thinking.

5. Social Skill Individuals can build relationships, networks, and rapport with others.

JWI 510: Leadership in the 21st Century Lecture Notes

The Application of EI to Your Leadership Journey So why is this important to you? Studies have found that a lack of EI is highly correlated with failure in senior managerial positions. IQ alone is not enough. What is needed is a winning combination of IQ, EI, and relevant experience. If you cannot achieve a high level of EI, you will, at some point in your career, fail at your job. Perhaps, at this juncture, you're thinking, "But I’m already successful. I don’t need to improve my emotional intelligence.” That could be true. But consider an uncomfortable possibility. Sometimes, a leader’s success is the precursor to failure, because success has a way of eroding self-awareness and self-restraint, and instead fostering self-indulgence. Considerable research into the question of why leaders stagnate shows that arrogance is often the problem. Success, some people seem to believe, makes it less important to be sensitive to the needs of others (McCall, 1998). That is why it is important, especially as you become more successful throughout your career, to continually be sensitive to your style and how other people perceive you. After all, self-awareness is the foundation of EI. As you complete Assignment 1 this week, consider not only the role of EI in your leadership development, but also what you have learned from the DiSC. To review, most people fall under one of four primary behavioral styles: Dominance (D), Influence (i), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C). People often exhibit an apparent tendency toward one style. They are a D, for instance. But many people are a combination of more than one style – they are, say, a DC. After taking the DiSC assessment, you should have a good idea of where you fit along the spectrum of behavioral styles. With DiSC, there is no right or wrong style. Each has value in a particular situation, so capitalize on your strengths. With some practice, you can also avoid overdoing those same strengths. Leadership is as much about motivating people as it is about communicating your vision. Leadership requires you to inspire and energize employees every day. To effectively motivate those around you, you must speak a language that each person responds to. To do this, you must understand which personality type you are motivating in a particular situation. Your individual DiSC profile will give you common descriptions you can use to read the styles of others. The next step in motivating is to vary the content, tone, and emphasis of your message. according to the profile of the individuals and teams you manage. Knowing your organization’s dominant style can give you a leg up as you work, and can help you lead in ways that are aligned with how success is measured and rewarded. Below is a framework for reading your organization's personality:

• D organizations demand results and productivity. An air of constant crisis and challenge pervades the culture. People can be blunt with each other. Speed, status, independence, and results are rewarded. Weakness and carefulness are not valued.

JWI 510: Leadership in the 21st Century Lecture Notes

• i organizations are exciting and fun places to work. The ethos is optimistic and relationship-

oriented. People are often seen in meetings and in conversation. Creativity, passion, and enthusiasm are commended, and there is a low tolerance for rules, analysis, and lone wolves.

• S organizations prize stability, predictability, and teamwork. People are pleasant and helpful.

Cooperation, loyalty, and conformity are valued. Forcefulness, individualism, and mean- spiritedness are reprimanded.

• C organizations focus on the quality of analysis and the perfection of results. The atmosphere is

buttoned-down and formal. People spend a lot of time doing research and building systems. Leadership seeks accuracy, detail-orientation, and dependability in its employees, while mistakes, sloppiness, and enthusiasm are loathed.

Your style will help set the tone for the organization you currently – or will one day – lead. Remember, you can succeed in any of these environments, if you play to your strengths and help people play to theirs. That’s what leadership is all about.

Your Leadership Journey

• If you are new to leadership, consider what sharpening your EI can do for you.

• If you are a team leader, consider how the DiSC could be used to help you communicate better with your team.

• If you are a senior/veteran leader, consider how a clearer focus on EI could help leaders of teams that report to you strengthen their performance.

JWI 510: Leadership in the 21st Century Lecture Notes